A majority of the 4.25 million inhabitants of Scotland said "no" to independence. On 18th September 55.25% of them said no to the question they were asked: Should Scotland be an independent country?" The victory of the "no" vote was finally greater than the polls had initially forecast. Although no minimum turnout was required for the vote to be valid the Scots turned out en masse for the consultation: 84.6% of them voted which is an historic record since the introduction of universal suffrage in the UK in 1918.

On 16th September the Statistics Office of Slovenia announced a reduction in national unemployment figures in July 2014 down to 12.7% of the working population in comparison with 12.8% in June. The number of unemployed declined by 1,153 people but there are still 116,199 job seekers out of a working population of 918,034. This fall bears witness to the efforts made by Slovenia in the area of employment over the last five months. In January and February unemployment totalled 14.2%, the highest level in ten years whilst in July 2013, the rate stood at 12.9%.

On 16th September the European Commission published its most recent report on the progress made by the European Research Area. It concluded that the conditions for the completion of the ERA in which researchers and scientific knowledge can circulate freely are in place Europe wide. Some initiatives have already taken shape, such as the integration of ERA into the European Semester and financial support as part of Horizon 2020 to achieve measures linked to ERA. An ERA follow-up mechanism has been introduced. It provides increasingly strong data that will enable the assessment of results both in the Member States as well as in research establishments. Reform now must be implemented in the Member States to make ERA work.

On 16th September Enrico Zanetti, the Council's representative presented the Council's position on the European 2015 budget to the European Parliament. The EU Member States are proposing a budget of 145.077 billion euro in commitments and 139.966 billion in payments ie a reduction of 552,000 euros in commitments and 2.1 billion euro less in payments in comparison with the original proposal made by the European Commission. The severest cuts made by the Council affect programmes designed to stimulate Europe's competitiveness, growth and the creation of jobs with a reduction of 1.3 billion euro on financing for research and major infrastructure projects. It also reduced the payments budget available to the EU's external policy by 5.2% (ie 378 million euro less), particularly money for Syria, Palestine and Ukraine. MEPs, who disagreed with this proposal, maintained that the Council's version of the EU's draft budget 2015 did not take on board its own political commitments to revive growth and create jobs.

Following the decision taken by the administrative court of Ourense in Spain the Court of Justice of the European Union gave its decision on 18th September. It considers that the price to pay for the transport of luggage registered by air passengers is not an unavoidable and foreseeable item in the price of the air transport service but may be, within the meaning of EU law, an optional price supplement in respect of a complementary service. Spanish law does not allow airlines to set a price for the transport of passengers freely. It requires air carriers to carry, in all circumstances, not only the passenger but also baggage checked in by him for the price of the plane ticket, without any price supplement. In this regard the Court concluded that Spanish legislation must apply the community rules in terms of luggage tariffs.

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced on 18th September that it had lent 82.6 billion euro to 255 European banks as part of a new targeted long term refinancing operation (TLTRO) designed to increase the credit granted to private economic actors and to support the economic revival of the euro zone. The sum of 82.6 billion euro is still relatively low in comparison with analysts' forecasts which estimated at least 100 billion euro for this first TLTRO, reaching maturity in September 2018. Six other TLTRO's are being planned - one per quarter - between March 2015 and June 2016, during which time the banks may borrow up to three times the net additional loan that they have granted to the private sector.

Germany, the main European destination for asylum seekers is to toughen up its policy regarding immigrants from the Balkans after a vote in the Bundesrat, the upper chamber of Parliament on 19th September. Germany will facilitate the expulsion of asylum seekers from Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina deeming that these three countries are now "safe" and that there is no persecution, torture, arbitrary violence or inhuman or humiliating treatment there.

Cypriot leaders have decided to speed up the frequency of their meetings in order to reach an agreement which will end the island's 40 year-old division, declared the UN's special envoy, Espen Barth Eide on 17th September. He said that negotiations that were ongoing under the aegis of the UN would gather pace after a meeting between Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turk, Dervis Eroglu. "The leaders have decided to increase the frequency of their meetings (...) and to meet at least twice a month," explained the Norwegian diplomat.

The Finnish Greens announced that they were quitting the government on 18th September due to an agreement given by the executive to a project for a nuclear power station to be built by the Russian company Rosatom. The Greens are against the power station in Pyhäjoki on the country's west coast which will be used by the Finnish nuclear group Fennovoima to whom the government has given its green light. Due to the Greens' departure the government's majority has now been reduced to 102 seats out of 200 in the Parliament. The remaining parties in government are the Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, the Social Democrats who hold the Finance Ministry, the Swedish speaking Party and the Christian Democrats.

The President of the Republic of France held a bi-annual conference in the presence of 400 journalists at the Elysée on 18th September. François Hollande said that France "would assert its positions" during the European Summit on 24th October next. Paris is to request greater flexibility regarding budgetary rules whilst the French budgetary deficit is due to be over 3%. "It is not a question of going back on the rules we set together but rather using all of the flexibility at our disposal to achieve our goals of growth and employment," he stressed.

On 19th September the Hungarian Foreign and Trade Minister, Tibor Navracsics resigned in preparation for his audition with the European Parliament on 1st October. He has been appointed to be the next European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship. Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban has put Peter Szijjarto forward to be his successor.

On 16th September Italy opened an investigation into the disappearance of five hundred migrants reported missing off the coast of Malta. These figures were communicated on 15th September by the International Office for Migration (IOM). According to eye-witness reports given by young Palestinians who were picked up by the Maltese navy the wreck was caused by the collision of two boats full of migrants from Africa. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) believes that more than 2,200 people have died or have gone missing in their bid to cross the Mediterranean since June.

The new Prime Minister of Poland, Eva Kopacz, presented her government on 19th September. This was notably marked by the departure of the head of diplomacy, Radoslav Sikorski, who is due to become the leader of the Diet, the lower chamber of Parliament. He is replaced by Grzegorz Schetyna. The government configuration remains unchanged and several outgoing cabinet ministers have retained their portfolio - including those in the Farmers' Party PSL, the PO's ally. Six women are members of the new government and one of them will lead the Interior Ministry, a first in Poland. The cabinet is to be sworn in on 22nd September, whilst Ms Kopacz will present her general policy to parliament on October 1st.

In an historic referendum which took place on 18th September a majority of the Scots said "no" to independence and a possible separation from England. According to officials, final figures broadcast by the BBC, the "no" won 55.3% of the vote (2,001,926 million) against 44.7% (1,617,989 million) for the "yes" vote for the independence of Scotland. Final turnout in the election totalled 84.59%. British Prime Minister David Cameron promised to increase the autonomy of the UK's member states declaring that "when the Scots have more power over the management of their affairs, this will also be given to the inhabitants of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who will also have more say over their own."

On 18th September Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar won Parliament's confidence. Heading the 12th government of Slovenia since independence and appointed for a four year mandate Mr Cerar has formed a government comprising 16 ministers of whom 7 are women. This coalition government comprises three parties, Miro Cerar's party (SMS), the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and the Social Democratic Party (SD).

On 16th September in Strasbourg the European Parliament approved the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine which plans for a full, deep free-trade agreement. At the same time this agreement was ratified by the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev. The measures that have been approved notably provide for close political cooperation between the two partners, economic integration between the EU and Ukraine as well as the free market access by both sides. MEPs approved the agreement 535 votes in support, 127 against and 35 abstentions. The association agreement between the EU and Ukraine confirms the political and economic rapprochement that started a while ago, even though the introduction of an area of free trade has been suspended until the end of 2015. The agreement will then be ratified by each of the 28 EU Member States.

On 21st September Pope Francis was in Albania on his first trip in Europe. During his meeting with the Albanian national authorities Pope Francis stressed how Albania was a model of peaceful co-existence between religions: "the atmosphere of respect and mutual confidence between Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims is a precious asset to this country and is of major importance in this era."

On 18th September the European Commission took a major step in the fight to counter match-fixing with the launch of the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions. The Convention opened for signature during the Council of Europe's conference on 18th September that brought together sports ministers in Macolin, Switzerland. Drafted by the Commission, the EU Member States and other members of the Council of Europe it aims to prevent, detect and counter match-fixing and the manipulation of sports competitions. It also aims to strengthen the exchange of information, national and international cooperation and also exchange of data between the public authorities involved, sports organisations and betting agencies.

On 16th September the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) unveiled a detailed, ambitious, international anti-fraud action plan named "BEPS" (Base erosion and profit shifting). These recommendations will enable a more coordinated international approach to counter tax evasion by multinational companies. They will introduce a unique set of international tax rules with fifteen key steps to be completed by the end of 2015. The first part of the Action Plan aims to help public authorities protect their tax base and offer tax-payers greater certainty and legibility, whilst avoiding the adoption of further rules nationally that might potentially lead to double taxation or needless obligations in terms of tax discipline, or which might impede quite legitimate transnational activities.

According to a press release by Eurostat published on 17th September the euro zone's annual inflation rate remained stable at 0.4% in August 2014, unchanged in comparison with July. In August 2013, it lay at 1.3%. The monthly inflation rate lay at 0.1% in August 2014. In the European Union the annual inflation rate lay at 0.5% in August 2014, unchanged in comparison with July. In August 2013 it lay at 1.5%. The monthly inflation rate lay at 0.1% in August 2014.

On 16th September in Rome the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation indicated that around 850 million people were still suffering from famine in the world, in other words, 100 million fewer than ten years ago and 209 million fewer than 20 years ago. In spite of an improvement over the last two decades the progress that has been achieved hides major regional disparity. Although Latin America is on the right path to eradicating this problem, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have progressed very little over the last few years. One person in three in Asia and one person in four in sub-Saharan African are still undernourished.

CRISP has published a study "The Results of the European Elections in May 2014 in the Member States". This study by Thierry Coosemans reviews each of the 28 countries and developments in the political situation since the European elections in June 2009 and more particularly the results of the national elections that have occurred in between time. The results of the May 2014 election are then compared to those of 2009.

The 14th Brussels Museums' All-Night Opening started on 18th September 2014. Every Thursday evening until 18th December, at least five museums will open their doors for the night in Brussels. Guided tours, various events and meeting with Brussels' cultural players will be on the programme this year.